Insert sole for shoes



Nov. 2, 1937. B. J. SILVER I INSERT soLE FOR SHOE Filed Feb. 27, 1935 INVENTR BENJAMlN J. SlLVER Patented Nov. 2, 1937 UNITED STATES INSERT SOLE FOR. SHOES Benjamin J.v Silver, New York, N. Y.

Application February'Z'l, 1935, Serial No. 8,525

13 claims. (oi. afs-'11)'V .The invention relates to an insert for a shoe of conventional construction and the disclosure herein constitutes an improvement and develop-.- ment of the invention disclosed in my two co- -pending applications, one entitled Weight distributing shoe soles, Serial No. 659,754 filed March 6, 1933, and the other entitled Sole modifying inner sole, Serial No. 726,738 led May 21, 1934.

The present invention, as was the case inthe preceding disclosures, has for its general object the providing of a shoe which will give greater comfort to the wearer by providing as a standard shoe service better tting accommodation than is provided by present practices, there being no g: primary intent in this case to provide any corrective devices to remedy structural defects or to correct anatomical deformities. The objective in this disclosure is simply to increase the percentage of those customers who can be tted with stock shoes in which the foot-engaging part of the inner sole can be minutely modified by the judicial use of a limited number of stock inserts which can be carried by the store for the different sizes of its stock shoes. Y

:5 One of the prevailing difficulties with standard designed shoes for most people is that `the stock shoes have a tendency to disturb the natural distribution of body weight and frequently put an increasing load on the outer longitudinal arch with the resulting tendency after continued use for awhile to tilt the foot structure as a whole outwardly with eventual weakening of the outer longitudinal arch. This condition, of course, is more exaggerated in some cases than in others and any attempt on the part of the shoe manufacturer, as has been practiced heretofore, to raise the outer arch of all shoes would simply introduce another complication by throwing weight on to the inner arch. In a relatively large 401;- percentage of cases such redistribution would introduce a discomfort in that class of persons who would not need such elevation to obtain the desired foot comfort. Accordingly, the present invention features the providing of a basic shoe which has the normal relative flat, that is a non-rotated sole, contour, and using therewith I an insert which will be composed primarily of a single easily inserted unit having a size and shape conforming to the particular size of shoe in which iI it is inserted, but which may be supplied in sets of varying degrees of foot rotating thicknesses.

Primarilyl the present disclosure features the use of an insert which will rotate the bone structure of the foot, particularly the part which is 5y inrear of the toes, as a whole inwardly and about a line approximately Ylocated as passing throughthe center of thehead of the rst m-etay tarsal bone and through the center ofthe inner plantar tuberosity of the heel bone. This, of course, will have the effect of releasing the usual and commonly present pressure caused by the f body weight onY the outer longitudinal-arch, with a tendency, of course, to increase the body Weighton the inner longitudinal arch of the foot, thus resulting in a better and more natural distribution of body weight than can be obtained with the usual stock shoe.

For the large majority of cases it Will be necessary to fit the shoe simply with a single foot ro-v tating insert hereinafter more particularly described as themain modulant. However, with certain types of feetas Where the person is heavyr or the muscular structure comparatively weak, or Where more weight is shifted to the inner lon-H gitudinal arch than is comfortable with the single main modulant inserted in the shoe, the present disclosure features the use, if necessary, of a second Vor supplemental modulant which will provide additional support to the inner longitudif nal Varch particularly in the region high up on the instep.

It is the primary object :of the present inven- Y tion to maintain as far as possible the original, or natural, relative arrangement of the bones of the foot even though the foot as a whole has been rotated about alongitudinal axis as herein featured. It will be appreciated, however, that any rotation however slight shifts the transverse or metatarsal arch laterally, with the resulting tendency of causing the heads of the metatarsal bones to readjust themselves to compensate for the change in the readjustment of the arch. The present disclosure endeavors to minimize or even eliminate any change in the bone conformation,

forming this metatarsal arch, and to'maintain the bone'structure in its original position which it'occupied prior to being rotated. This is attained by providing a curved'portion to the part of the insert which engages under the dome area immediately in rear of the heads of the three middle metatarsal bones, and specifically providing the point of highest elevation beneath theY anterior half of the shank of the second metatar`` sal bone and slightly' in rear of its head.' Providy ing the raised point at this particular place'permits the foot rotation herein featured and tends to eliminate strain which would otherwise occur in a great many cases if this point of high eleva. tion were notpresent at this peculiar point of the foot.

It has been found that the greater the weight distribution on the inner longitudinal arch with resulting necessity of more side support, the greater degree of elevation is usually required in the area back of the metatarsal bone heads hereinbefore noted, and accordingly there is featured herein the providing of this point of high elevation as part of the supplemental modulant rather than as a feature of the main modulant thus again tending V-to minimize the number of different sizes and forms of inserts which the store would have to carry in order to meet the Variations in natural foot contour which this invention is endeavoring to meet.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawingvand in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of insert embodying the invention, and the invention 'also consists in certain new' and novel features of construction andV combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed. f

'In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally through a conventional shoe, in the illustrated instance being a right shoe, taken approximately on the line I-I of Fig. 2, with an insert shown located therein with reference to the bone structure of the foot shown in side elevation in dotted outlines, and illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention with a main modulant and a relatively small supplemental or removable modulant tted to the main modulant;

Fig. 2 is a plan View looking down upon the insert shown in Fig. l removed from the shoe withl the largersupplemental modulant substituted for the smallsupplemental modulant shown in Fig. 1 and showing part of theibonestructure of the foot in plan to locate the parts ofthe insert;

Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are transverse sectional views taken respectively Yon the similarly designated sections in` Fig. 1 and with the large supplemental modulant of Figs. 2 and 6 in place on the main modulant; and Y Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the large modulant shown in Figs. 2 4 to be substituted for the smaller insert of Fig. l.

In the drawing and referring rst to the basic Shoe in connection with the invention herein illustrated, there is disclosed a conventional form f Womans shoe comprising an outer sole I0 and an inner sole I I with the edge of the upper I2 secured between the soles and otherwise it is intended that the shoe represent any known cornmercial form of construction.

Fitted within the shoe in the drawing in Fig. l is an insert formed as a factory produced article comprising two separate units, one constituting a main modulant I3 and the other a relatively small supplemental modulant I4. The main modulant comprises primarily a one-piece sheet of resilient material I5, preferably soft sponge rubber, which extends from the heel forwardly of thev shoe to a point in advance of the ball portion of the foo-t and forming a heel pocket I6 at the rear end, a ball supporting portion I'I at its advanced end and a connecting shank or narrow waist portion I3. The layer of material I is provided on its upper side with a sock lining I9 herein shown to extend beyondY the cushioned portion to the toe ofthe shoe. It is obviously within the scope of the disclosure to provide a similar lining (not shown) for the underside of the insert in those situations where it is. desired to provide a finished face to both sides of the main modulant.

This main modulant is designed primarily for the purpose of rotating the bone structure of the foot as a whole inwardly by raising slightly the outer edge of the foot. 'Ihe raising of the foot onone side thereof, of course, swings the portion of the foot on the high side away from the adjacent side of the sole of the standard shoe and in the instant case the main modulant includes as an integral part thereof a side ange 20, the rear portion of which forms thehigh side and more or less of the rear curved side of the heel socket, and the forward extension of which high side extends forwardly from the heel along the shank portion I8 to form the shank portion of the flange which as shown` in Fig. 5 has its upper =edge 2l feathered and is curved sharply downwardly and then into the relatively flat bottom 22 terminating at the inner edge in a feather edge 23. The portion of the bottom member 22 in advance of the flange 2B and alongside of the ball portion' of the foot is comparatively fiat as-shown in Fig. 3 except that it is of greater thickness at its outer portion 24 than at its inner edge portion 25. The object of this thickened portion as above noted is to rotate the bone structure of the foot as a whole including the heel and the part forwardly thereof except possibly the extreme forward portion of the toe bones about a llongitudinal line herein more or less arbitrarily'selected as the line .ct-b, Fig. 2, which passes'through the head of the first metatarsalbone designated Im and through the inner plantar tuberosity pt of the heel bone hb, Fig, 5.

The main modulant I3 is provided with a recess or socket 25 adjacent the ball portion of the-foot and for the purpose of more accurately locating this recess and in this way Vlocate the supplemental v`modulants hereinafter more fully described, reference will be made to the bone structure of the fore part of the foot superposed thereon. Theilve me-tatarsal bones are designated respectively Im to 5m, Fig. 2, with their corresponding toe bones similarly designated as il?, 2P, etc., and with the phalanges designated with exponents as Ipl designating the firstl phalange of the large toe, p2 the second phalange and p3 the third or most advanced phalange of the several toe bones. It will be thus seen from Figs. land 2 that the main modulant I3 terminates with its advance edge 27 in advance of the bases of the rst phalanges 2291, Sp1, 4p1 land 5111 as.

shown in Fig. 2 leavingv the second and third phalanges, p2 and p3 of all the toes as well as most of phalange Ip uncushioned. The recess or socket 2t is accurately located to extend in somewhat circular form in plan underneath the anterior half of each of the Shanks of the second, third and fourth metatarsal bones but does not extend as far as the rst and fifth metatarsal bones leaving the first undersupported' and fth metatarsal bone supported directly on the main modulant it. iin orderV to get the maximum depth to this socket 2S it is shown as extending completely through the layer I5 so that the plug contacts with the inner sole I i of theshoe. The socket 25 is of somewhat conical outline with its wider areaed portion at the upper edge of the main modulant.

As the` main modulant isy prepared at the factory the recess 2S is lled with a small supplement-al modulant i4 which is in the form `of a c onical plug or protuberance and which may be of the 'same material as the layer I5, but is preferably made from rubber having g'reaterresiliency and is itself provided with a sock lining 28 which merges with and forms in effect a continuation of the main sock lining I9 so that in general the presence of the recess and its filling plug is not noticed in: the main modulant.

The top surface of this plug AIll is convex in all directions and has its high point 29 located beneath the shaft of the second metatarsal bone 2m and spaced a short distance in rear of the head of this bone, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be understood that this main modulant can be fitted into a shoe without disturbing the'plug and that the modulant as thus used and without the larger supplemental modulant hereinafter described will be all that is necessary to modify Ythe standard forms of shoes in order to give perfect comfort and nicety of t to a. large percentage of users.

` In the event that a foot condition is presented :to the salesman where his judgment is that a greater elevation is desired in the'dome portion in rear of the metatarsal arch than is provided by the small modulant, or where additional Ysupport is indicated as necessary on the inner side 3 of the shoe, the salesman lifts out the plug I4 which is simply fastened in position by means of the sock lining thus exposing the recess, or aperture 26.

From the stock of available supplemental inserts, one of which is shown at Fig.' 6, the salesman selectsthat one which he believes to best meet the requirement of the particular foot condition which he is endeavoring to t with a shoe.' He may simply substitute for the plug-like supplemental modulant which came with the main modulant, a similar small size plug of the same general outline except that the top surface may be flatter or possess a greater convexity than is suggested for the average condition for which condition the top of plug I4 is designed. It is also suggested that the upwardly projecting part of plug I4 fitting in the recess be formed as an integral protuberance of the supplemental modulant in which case of course there will'be `noi recess 20 in the layer I5 of material forming the main modulant.

The larger supplemental modulant 30 shown in Figs. 2 and 6 is characterized by being provided with a side flange 3l which in the instant case is shown to extend from the shank orI instep and adjacent the forward edge of the heel portion in a rounded curve to the outside of the first metatarsal bone and therefrom flattening out towards the forward edge of the main modulant to form a cushioned forward bottom prtio-n 32. The supplemental modulant is provided on its underside with a cushioning protuberance 33 corresponding in configuration to the plug I4, tting in the socket 26 and coacting therewith to prevent accidental shifting of the supplemental modulant and when inserted on top of the main modulant.

Considered in plan as shown in Fig. 2, the two modulants are disposed withv their forwarded ends in superposed overlapping relation and extending at an acute angle rearwardly of the shoe with the 'rear free end 34 projecting laterally beyond the adjacent edge of the main modulant as shown in Fig. 2. This acute angle relation as disclosed in Fig. 2 permits the extending of the supplemental modulant from a relatively wide base underlapping the wide portion of the foot in a long upwardly extending curve to iit against the inner longitudinal arch of the foot. The

flange 3l is turned sharply upwardly to provide a relatively rigid support to the nal arch or vinstep portion of thev foot. .The

34 corresponding ito'the lining 28.

` This larger flanged form-.of supplemental m'ody ulant like the plugv form which it replaced likewiseiscirved in the portion which fits under the dome ofthe metatarsal arch' in the rear of the heads ofthe metatarsal bones and likewise has its Ypoint vof highest elevation indicated at 29 immediately in rearV of the head of the second metatarsal bone as hereinbefore described and as shown in elevation inFig. 3. It Vwill be appreciated that in thoseY cases whereA no material amountof elevation is desired beyond that provided by the main modulant with its'plug I4, the thicknessof material particularly in the vbottom portion of the supplemental modulant is maderas thin as` is physically possible, and on the contrary where increased resiliency or an unusual elevation is required to that part ofthe foot supported by the supplemental-modulant their that form of supplemental modulant is selected for use whichwill provide the requisite additional thickness of elevationreq'uired.'Y It is also obvious that where a particularly rug-ged form of inner arch support is desired, the portion forming the flange 3l may -be of more rugged contour than Vwould be usually requiredbut in any caseV there is featured non-rigidity in the vunderfsole engagingA faces of both of the'modulants so that the modulants can conform to foot construction as is usual with leather shoes and Vrelative rigidity in the flange3I.` f

In one commercial form of the invention herein disclosed the resilient cushioning material is a grade of soft springyrubbe'r; the sock lining is of a thin grade of leather facing, vbut it iswithin the scopel of the disclosure to make some of the parts such, forinstance, as the ange 3I, in'part or wholly of a stiffer gradeof leather and it is obviously within the scopeof the disclosure to reinforce the main modulant particularly in the shank portion thereof in any manner now'known for reinforcing insertsV to shoes.

By means of an; insert such as'herein disclosed and positioned in whatever size shoe may constitutea proper fitting in .the usual commercial understanding of this term, and with a proper form of main insert inserted inthe shoe, the

insert will rotate the foot asa whole except, of f course, the outer ends of the toes in a direction inner Iongitudiinwardly of the foot and at the same time there will be provided a support or elevation out of the normal configuration as provided by the raised portion at '29. Then, as Vconditions warrant the necessity of any such subsequent refinement in modification of this support, the supplemental modulant is inserted in place to givea snug feeling of supportto'the inner side of the turned foot.

While the present disclosure features the rotation of the foot inwardly because it is such rotation which is required in a'large majority of cases; itfdoes sometimes occur that the particular foot being fitted requires an outward rotation of the foot. While this condition is not common, it obviously is within the scope of the disclosure to provide a form of insert which will be the reverse of the usual insert in that the elevation provided by the main modulant will be maximum on the inner side. Even in such cases there still will be retained the high point of arch supportYV just back of the head of the second metatarsal bone;

n win be noted as by reference toYV Fig. 4 that 75 the shank portion of the foot is Vunclerlapp'ed by a saddle-like arrangement of support for the midlength of the foot while the footis supported in the tilted position herein featured.

While there has been shown, described and pointed out in the annexed claims certain novel features of the invention, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form and details of the insert illustrated and in its operation may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the inventionn l1 claim: I

f 1. A replaceable semi-flexible insert for modifying the conformation of the foot engaging sole of a shoe, comprising two separable units, one constituting a main' modulant and the other a supplemental modulant, said main modulant comprising a heel receiving socket, a shank projecting forwardly from the socket and a cushioned portion. projecting forwardly from the shank for supporting the heads of the four outer metatarsal bones, said main modulant acting to support the foot from the heel to a position slightly forward of the heads of .the middle metatarsal bones, the portion of the main modulant at its outer edge and from adjacent the head of the fifth metatarsal bone back to the rear end of the heel being of greater depth than the opposite inner edge portion at the, edge adjacent the first metatarsal bone, said main modulant acting as awhole to rotate slightly the entire bone structure of the wearers foot, except the forward ends of the toes, inwardly about a longitudinal line approximately passing through the center `of the head Yof the rst metatarsal bone and through the center of the inner plantartuberosity of the heel bone and acting to so rotate the foot. without modifying the natural relative arrangement of the bones of the foot, and said supplemental modulant being readily replaceable and including a forward bottom cushioning portion tted to the top of the main modulant in the area beneath the ball of the foot, underlapping the' lrear heads of the first phalanges and extending rearwardly and upwardly therefrom, the rear portion of said supplemental modulant forming a relatively rugged side flange extending diagonally rearward from the forward' portion and curving upwardly around the inner arch of v the foot and, together with the main modulant, forming a saddle-like arrangement for providing additional support for the inner arch of the foot when so rotated towards its inner side, and said insert having its point of highest elevation located in rear of the head of and beneath the anterior half of the shank of the second metatarsal bone and sloping therefrom towards a feathered edge.

2. A,. replaceable slightly flexible insert for modifying the inner sole conformation of a shoe, comprising .a main modulant having a length and contour to fit in the heel and to Yextend forwardly therefrom adistance sufficient to underlap the heads of all of the metatarsal bones at least in part, said modulant having a bottom portion and .a side flange at the heel and, shankportion roundingfdownwardly and inwardly relative to the shoe inwhich it is to be contained, into the bottom, Awith the forward portion at thewidest part of the shoe and the part rearwardly thereto to and including the heel having a greater depth at its outer edge than at *its inner edge,v and a supplemental modulant separable from the main modulant located under and rearwardly of the heads of some 'of-.the metatarsal bones including the fifth metatarsal bone, having' a convex top surface with its point. of maximum elevation beneath the shank of the second metatarsal bone.

3. A replaceable slightly flexible insert for a shoe, 'comprising a main modulant having a portion wheninstalled in a Ashoe underlapping vthe wide portion of the foot, said modulant provided with a socket in its upper face, said socket located slightly in the rear of the heads of the second, third and fourth metatarsal bones, and a second replaceable modulant forming a Vcushion fixed in position relative to' the main modulant, provided on its underside with a cushioning protuberance fitting in said-socket, said socket and protuberance coacting to prevent horizontal shifting of the modulants relative to each other and the upper side of said second modulant having a contour higher on one lateral edge than on the opposite edge` and modifying the contour of the top surface of the main modulant in the area beneath and immediately in rear of the heads of the second, third and fourth metatarsal bones.

4. An insert for a shoe Vfor modifying'the contour of the shoe, comprising a main modulant including a, layer of resilient material having an upstandingoutlining ange at its heel end forming a heel pocket, a support for the yball portion of the foot and a connecting shank, said layer provided in the space'immediately in rear of the heads ofthe second, third and fourth metatarsal bones with an opening extending therethrough, a sock lining covering the upper face of said layer and asupplemental insert or modulant provided onits underside with a protuberance constituting a cushion and conforming to and fitting in said recess-and extending entirely through said resilient layer to engage the inner sole surface of the shoe, said supplemental insert having its upper surface raised above said resilient surface of the main modulant, 'and said supplemental insert in the area including said protuberance having greater resiliency than the main modulant.

Y 5. An insert for a shoe for rotating and modifying the contour of the foot engaging surface of the'l'shoe, said insert comprising a one-piece main modulant forming a heel portion, a support for the ball portion yof the foot and a connecting, shank,A said main modulant fashioned higheron the outside than on the inside from the heel forwardly thereby to tilt the foot inwardly thus tending to release pressure on the outer longitudinal arch and incidentaliy tending to increase body-weight'pressure on. the inner longitudinal arch of the foot, a supplemental and replaceable modulant fitted to the top surface of the main modulant at the portion thereof which is immediately in rear of the heads of the three middle metatarsal bones, said supplemental modulant having its rear end projecting beyond the outlinev of the main modulant on its inner side, and said end rounding upwardly, engaging and thus providing protection for the inner longitudinal arch of the foot and tending to provide a rugged support toy receive the Yincreased bodyweight pressure imposed on the inner side of the foot by the foot `rotating action` of the main modulant.

6. An-insert for a. shoe for rotating and modifying the contour of the foot engaging surface of the shoe, said insert comprising a one-piece main modulant forming a heel portion, a support for the ball portion of the foot and a connecting shank, said main modulant being of greater thickness at its outer than at its inner portion thereby torotate the wearers foot slightly in- Wardly from the position it would assume in the shoe if the insert were not present, thereby tending to release pressure on the outer longitudinal arch, said main modulant provided in the space immediately in rear of the heads of the three middle metatarsal bones with a concaved recess, and a supplemental and replaceable modulant having a protuberance projecting from its underside, and fitting in said recess, said supplemental modulant having its inner side bent upwardly from the portion provided with the protuberance to form a ange for engaging and providing support for the inner longitudinal arch of the wearers foot when rotated inwardly by the main modulant.

7. An insert for a shoe comprising a main modulant forming a cushion for the ball part of the wearers foot, said modulant having greater thickness at its outer edge than at its inner edge to rotate the foo-t inwardly, a replaceable supplemental modulant extending at an angle from the portion o-f the main modulant which is beneath the anterior half of the shank of the second metatarsal bone and in rear of its head, extending rearwardly therefrom and beyond the outline of the inner edge of the main modulant, the rear end oi the supplemental modulant being sharply curved upwardly from the main modulant to form a relatively stiff supporting flange for the inner longitudinal arch of the wearers foot when so rotated inwardly by the main modulant.

8. An insert for a shoe comprising a main modulant forming on its upper side aconvexed cushion for the ball part of the wearers foot, said modulant having greater thickness at its outer edge than at its inner edge in the portion under the outer heads of the metatarsal bones, said modulant acting to rotate the foot inwardly, and a replaceable supplemental modulant extending at an angle from the portion of the main modulant which is beneath the anterior half of the shank of the second metatarsal head beneath and in rear of its head, extending rearwardly therefrom and beyond the outline of the inner edge of the main modulant, the outer end of the supplemental modulant being sharply curved upwardly from the main modulant to form a supporting flange for the inner longitudinal arch -of the wearers foot when so rotated inwardly by the main modulant, and the main modulant engaging part of the supplemental modulant having its point of highest elevation located in rear of the head and beneath the anterior half of the shank of the second metatarsal bone.

9. A projecting insert for a shoe comprising a part providing a cushioning support for the ball portion of the foot and being higher at its outer than at its inner edge thereby to tilt the foot inwardly, a flange projecting from the inner edge of said ball supporting part and curving upwardly therefrom to provide a side flange for engaging and supporting the inner longitudinal arch of the foot, and said ball supporting part provided with a convexed portion having its point of highest elevation positioned to lie immediately in rear of the head of the second metatarsal bone.

10. A shoe insert including twolayers of material extending at an acute angle relative to each other, an end of one overlapping an end of the other to provide a double thickness of cushioning material in the region of the ball of the foot, one of said layers extending as a'unit rearwardly from the overlapped portion to and underlapping the heel and providing a heel pocket, and the other layer extending rearwardly from the ball portion and projecting laterally beyond an outlining edge of the first named layer to form a relatively rigid support for the longitudinal arch and the instep portion of the foot.

11. A shoe insert including a main modulant adapted to fit in the shoe from heel to toe and providing and the ball portion of the foot, said modulant provided in the region of the ball part with a recess constituting an open-top socket adapted to receive a corresponding shaped protuberance of any one of a set of supplemental modulants, and a supplemental modulant and having an upturned flange at one end and including a plug depending from the underside thereof, spaced from said flange, fitting in said recess and coacting with the main modulant to form a continuity of foot engaging surface to the main modulant.

12. An insert for a shoe comprising a forming a main modulant and extending from the heel to a point in advance of the metatarsal cushion a cushioned support for both the heel Y area and terminating in rear of the toes, a sock the modulants. Y

13. An insert for a shoe comprising a main modulant having a sole engaging bottom portion and an upstanding side flange integral with the bottom portion, a supplemental modulant having a bottom portion overlapping the bottom portion of the main modulant and having an'upstanding side iiange integral with its bottom portion, and a projection from the bottom portion of one modulant intruded into a similarly shaped socket in the bottom portion of the other modulant.

BENJAMIN J.

and a supplemental mod-V said projection and socket coacting to prevent relative shifting of'v 

